Song of the Day: Alice In Chains – “Nutshell”

Today marks the birthday of late former Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley, who would have been 49 years old today. Staley death in 2004 is still one of the more depressing in rock history as he lay dead in his apartment for two weeks before anyone knew he was gone. Via Wikipedia: “When police kicked in the door to Layne Staley’s University District apartment on April 19, there, laying on a couch, lit by a flickering TV, next to several spray-paint cans on the floor, not far from a small stash of cocaine, near two crack pipes on the coffee table, holding a fully loaded syringe in his right hand, and the syringe in his leg, reposed the remains of the rock musician.” Despite being so hard-hitting when they rocked out, some of Alice In Chains’ most powerful moments with Staley came via their acoustic work, such as the poignant Jar of Flies cut “Nutshell,” which was once selected by Rolling Stone readers as one of the top 10 saddest songs of all time.